The province of Uttar Rubbish.It grinds along for most of the first 35 minutes; then transitions into Obligatory Splatter. I've seen better acting at a 4th-grade parents'-night play. The characters are only slightly less wooden than the backdrops -- and are as deserving of firebombing.If Miike ever wishes to make something truly horrifying, he can start with a documentary on Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army, then move on to the Bataan Death March, or any of the other myriad atrocities committed by the Japanese within living memory; who need to make up stories, when one has History to draw from?The only reason this gets 1 star is because there is no provision for a zero rating. The claims "this was never shown due to objectionable content" are flat-out lies; this wasn't shown because it is, in the very literal sense of the phrase, Utterly Bloody Awful.

This is a horror movie, true to the sense of the word. I've seen abuse and death 1st hand, and it isn't pretty. The cinematography is beautiful, story is wrenching so kudos to Takashi Miike. This film is beautifully horrific.

When you name the top ten World Wide Horror Masters, he is one of them. This is all Miike. Sick. Twisted. Disgusting. Violent. Sad. Sexual. Perverted. Strange. Funny. Silly. Overblown. Makes Art beautiful, and then smashes it at the same time (pay attention to the colors, the cinematography!). His work is like an accident you just happen to pass by not wanting to look, can't help but look and when you do, you give an initial shrug reaction but the whole thing creeps in and stays with you -- and you just don't want it to. This is the guy. If he's married - I pity and admire equally whomever is his wife. As a horror fan, this is the guy that makes your skin, and emotions crawl. No wonder Eli Roth and all young horror directors are is in awe of him. Me too.

He's one of the nuclear mutants. That explains the yelling and stuff.

I've had COUNTLESS nights of terror just thinking about the scenes where that woman tortures the other one.. with the fingernails... it was just TOO realistic. I feel like I need to watch it again just to get it out of my head and convince myself it's just a movie.. but for some reason I can't watch it again either. Nice job, Masters of Horror!!!!

Sad what people think is "horror" these days.